How to increase your motivation

            Here are a few ways I apply to force myself to get started and begin making positive change. I promise that they'll be of use to you also.

1. Stop Wishing on a Star

I still catch myself doing this occasionally. Wishing upon a star to grant me all my wishes. I figure if I'm good enough, or patient enough, that genie will come along and grant me the 3 wishes. Naturally, this isn't going to happen, and life isn't a movie. The greatest power we will ever feel is that moment when we become entirely self-responsible for everything in our lives. It's empowering to acknowledge that regardless what, the outcome of our goals relies absolutely on ourselves.

2. Taking Control

Lack of motivation commonly emerges when we don't have control, do not agree with the direction or formula of reaching a particular goal.  So, how do we improve our motivation?  Increase our level of control over whatever situation.  That may mean suggesting alternate directions, ways or modifying our situation totally.

3. Take Responsibility

Nothing can bring you success but yourself. You are the creator of your life. The experiences you have are simply a representation of your perspective. Change your perspective and focus on the good things in bad situations. Become an inverse paranoid. See the world as working to help you rather than against you. You are the only one responsible for the way you're living today, either except it or don't. Either way you decided.

4. Success Demands Action

            When I am feeling down and out, action is the only thing that gets me back in the game. I spend a moment to recenter and quite all the disturbance of life. I literally close my eyes and delete all the damaging thoughts and emotions. When I reopen my eyes, I see the world in afresh-invigorated light. From that moment forward, I simply just begin moving. I take whatever steps I can and continue to move forward till I build the needed impulse to achieve whatsoever goal is at hand.

5. Do Smart Fitness

            Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training has been a personal antidote of mine to fight lack of energy and motivation. His smart fitness has helped me get a physically fit body, enhanced energy, and self-confidence. There's nothing like it! The sense of achievement you get from doing so will stay with you and push you when attempting to achieve additional goals. And don’t forget to eat tasty, but healthy foods!

6. Self Improvement Study

            Nothing has been more fundamental in changing my life than the study of self-improvement. I spend at least half-hour each day reading some sort of self-improvement or personal development book. This has been an integral step of mine to produce a clear, focused, and positive psychological state.

7. What Are You Grateful For

            Being in a state of gratitude is one of the greatest pickups you will be able to use. Just the fact that you have the capability to read this is something to be thankful for. When you stop focusing on all those limiting elements, and start thinking about everything you do have instead of don't, you will find yourself in a more resourceful state. I achieve this best by making a Gratitude List. I do this by sitting down with a pad of paper and a pencil and writing down everything I'm grateful for. This is a great way to gain a much-needed linear perspective in tough times.

8. Ask a Friend

            When I am feeling iffy about something and I am not quite sure enough how I'm doing or if I'm putting forth plenty effort, I frequently rely on my closest friends for criticism. As long as your friends are a good support system and are willing to level with you and tell you the truth, I highly recommend this method. A close friend’s point of view of yourself or what you are doing is almost all of the time enough to push someone into taking action.

9. Get Your House in Order

Our home life and personal relationships form our foundation. When there is stress or drama in these areas, it affects the rest of our life. Sort out your relationships, be sure that they are in good order and you will discover it much easier to increase your motivation.

10. Increase Motivation by Abandoning Failed Plans

We are creatures of habit. We fall back into them because they are comfy and familiar, even if they are bad for us! If something has failed for you in the past, change it up. It's amazing how many folks repeat this mistake in trying to increase motivation.

11. Accept Your Mistakes

We are all human. It's natural for us to make mistakes. Accept what you've done wrong and commit to doing better next time. Mistakes are not failures. Mistakes only become failures when you don't learn from them and move on!

12. Become An Early Riser

Waking up early comes with many benefits. I enjoy watching the sunrise and having a nice warm cup of coffee. Having a well planned out and slow paced morning helps me start the day right. I am somewhat of a work-a-holic at heart. Waking up early and taking planned steps helps me start my day out right!

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How Not to Quit?

Sometimes we give up before we even begin, and other times we quit just before we are about to have a major breakthrough that we have been working so hard to accomplish.

I hope this inspires you and drives you to continue to move forward!

1. If You Are Reading This, Anything Is Possible For You

As long as you are still alive whatever you put your mind to, you can accomplish. You have the option to keep on keeping on. Understand that regardless what the situation, if you give up, it was your option.

2. You Are Strong

You are stronger than you believe you are. No amounts of barriers are strong enough to stop you from reaching your goals. Find ways to go around them, over them, or even directly through them if need be!

3. Believe In Yourself

Stop selling yourself short. You are a highly capable person. In life, there will be a lot of people who prove and pull you down, and make you outguess your aspirations. Don't let them pull you down, the truth is they just want you on the same level as they are.

4. Friends and Family

Your friends and family would like to see you win. They would like to see you happy. If not for yourself at least push yourself to succeed for them.

5. It Could Always Be Worse

Regardless what situations you are in, it could always be worse. Be thankful for what you possess, and do not worry about what you do not. You will soon enough complete all your aspirations and dreams, but concentrate on what you are able to do to reach them instead of what limits you.

6. You Deserve To Be Happy

Everybody deserves to be happy, including you! A little bit of suffering and sacrifice now, will be worth it in the end. Never give up on yourself and goals. Before you know what hits you, you will be successful.

7. Inspire Others

You are a very special and unique person. You will have your own success story, regardless what your hardships may be. When you achieve your dreams and goals, you will be an inspiration for other people who are in similar situations.

8. Improve The World

With your success, you will be capable to improve the world and give back more than ever before.

9. Prove You Can Do It

Never quit so you can demonstrate to yourself, friends, family, and the world that it is possible!  A lot of people lack faith in themselves; give them a reason to believe that they are capable of accomplishing their goals.

10. You Are Closer Than You Think

"Failure is a trickster with a keen sense of irony and cunning. It takes great delight in tripping one when success is almost within reach." - Napoleon Hill Quotes

11. Never Give Up! At The Very Least, Because I said So! Your Future Success Is Worth It!

Whether or not you value my advice, I hope you continue to fight the good fight and move towards achieving your dreams. My goal is to motivate and inspire others to create the lives of their dreams. Ultimately, there is only so much I can do, Your Success Is Up To You!

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Vanity, what a Great Motivation!

            A big self-motivation factor for many people is vanity. We want to look good! Many Americans need to lose weight. Big time!

Motivation is very funny: it always seems to leave right in the middle of a great fitness routine or a good diet program. You were doing so well….then one day, you lost your motivation and you just did not feel like working on it anymore.

It is interesting how when motivation is high, we feel driven, energized, focused and determined. Nothing gets in our way and we always have the ability to push ourselves and get things done.

But once you lose motivation, inertia takes over. You keep saying you want to change, but you cannot seem to get yourself out the door.

So how do you get back your motivation and stick with your program?

First, realize that motivation is not permanent. You do not “get it” and then never have to worry about it again. That is why being able to build your own motivation is so important. Instead of depending on an external crisis to get you started, you can create your own wake-up call. Figure out ways to generate your own excitement and energy for your goals. Look at motivation as an opportunity, not a burden, and then develop the resources you need to sustain it.

The best idea that will help you get back on track is Do It When You Don’t Feel Like It! When you do not feel like working on a diet or exercise program…is usually when you need do it the most. So unless you are physically ill, do not let your feelings determine your actions. Invent new tricks, create new methods and stay on your program especially when you don’t feel like it.

Vacation is over! School is back in session! Along with that comes a little homework. So push yourself to work hard, stay focused and aim for the top of the class.

            With renewed motivation, your efforts will pay off and you will see the results in your lifestyle and in your mirror.

I hope some of the suggestions I have given will provide motivation to get you started on your healthy eating adventure.

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Be Patient! Persevere!

            When we are on an exercise and diet program it might take a week or two before we notice any changes, but they will steadily appear. After the first month, you will be able to see the results and measure them in terms of looser fitting clothes.

Keeping your motivation up is one of the most difficult aspects of dieting. There will be days when healthy eating goes out the window, and there will be weeks where you may not lose any weight…or put a little back on.

This is normal for everyone, dieters or not, so do not let it undo your plans for a slimmer you. You are not doing anything “wrong”, but you may need to look at your plan. Do you need to increase your activity levels? Make a few more changes to your diet? Put more effort into sticking to your current plan?

The other side of this is to make sure you celebrate your goals. While there is joy enough in stepping on the scales and seeing them dip lower, be sure to mark long-term progress with a reward, such as new clothes or time off from domestic chores.

Celebrating is also a way to involve your nearest and dearest; it is up to you whether you want their encouragement in the form of gentle reminders not to eat certain foods. But support from other people can get you through the bumpy patches.

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Help needed, I have motivational issues…

People often say that motivation does not least. Well neither does bathing. That is why I recommend it daily.

Sometimes, we show short bursts of motivation or enthusiasm. We start doing something enthusiastically, but lose interest and motivation after a while, because we find it hard to sustain them.

If you wish to improve your life, you need to awaken motivation and enthusiasm. You need to realize how much you lose by their absence, and how much you gain by having them.

If you are overweight, and you do not have enough inner strength to exercise your body or follow a diet, you should consider strengthening your motivation to lose weight.

Yes, motivation is important! And yes, we are all interested in living a healthy life!

Nevertheless, being interested is the main reason people generally fail. So, please, don’t be interested. It is just not enough. You should BE COMMITTED!!!

Because being interested is doing what it is convenient, while being committed is doing what it takes.

So, what really takes to have the full package: a great health and a great body?

My solution was ad still is Fitness.

I consider smart fitness to be one of the most significant things you can do to add more years to your life and life to your years. You have to take care of your body in order to live a more satisfying and happier life.

Pay no attention to what the critics say.  A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic. And don't let anyone steal your goal.  It's your goal, not theirs.

Start your transformation today!

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Back to the “personality versus looks” issue. Again!

It's not like we don't have a wonderful personality…

Yes, people, visual impact is more important then we want to admit! Off course, our great personality is very important, too. I will agree with that. But let me ask you one thing. If you have two cars: one ugly with a great engine and one beautiful with a dreadful engine… I wonder which one of those two will you first take for a spin?  I guess we all know the answer…

At this point, I am sure you are thinking at the ideal situation, “a beautiful car with a great engine”. And you know what, it is possible! We can all have such a car.

Let me rephrase that: We can all have the charming personality and the greatest physique ever! It can be done! Life gave us this gift at birth, together with the tools to obtain it! It’s up to us!

A study established that only about 10 percent of how long the average person lives is dictated by our genes. The other 90 percent is dictated by our lifestyle.

The fact of the matter is there is a lot of confusion around what really helps us live longer better. We have heard of the Atkins Diet, the Low Fat and Very Low-Fat Diet, the Oprah Diet, or the Zero Carb Diet…

We have low fat food, low fat puddings, low fat ice cream, low fat muffins…

Should we be running or doing yoga? Should we be doing fitness or bodybuilding? Should we eat organic food or tofu? Should we be taking supplements or not?

On the other hand, all the specialists agree we should all exercise correctly, eat healthy and have a spiritual life.

Everybody agrees that those are the three keys to a great life. We all know what we need to do to improve our lives and yet, comically and tragically, we do not. Why don’t we? Why aren’t we doing those three things?

I am an engineer, so logic, science and analytical thinking come naturally. Therefore, I tried to find the right answer to that question.

I had to, because two years ago my doctor told me I am doing all the right things to become obese. I was 34 then, but my biological age was “a little” over 50. His advice was, obviously: go to the gym, mister Platz. So I did, but it didn’t work very well for me.

You see, today, there are thousands of gyms and fitness centers available. However, doing the same boring exercise routines can be very straining and frustrating most of the time. Aside from doing everything repeatedly everyday, you also have to realize the fact that exercising does not show immediate results even after a few weeks of working out. This can be frustrating and many people will simply give up the exercise program they enrolled in. I know I did, more then once…

Do we quit because of the laziness, low self-esteem, fear of failure, lack of faith in our abilities?

Could it be the lack of motivation the cause?

If it is, let us do something about it!

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